Wout Van Aert and Matthew Brennan win big in 2026, much due to Visma’s British market success with key signing
Cycling
Visma | Lease a Bike's Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan both achieved landmark victories in 2026, scooping up multiple Grand Tour and stage wins between them coupled with the Belgian's resounding Paris Roubaix triumph. Behind their success is team performances that helped tee up victory, including unsung hero Owain Doull.
Part of the Visma selection for several key races, including crucial monuments and stage races, the British veteran represents an underrated and astute transfer market move from the Dutch team last winter as he arrived from EF Education-EasyPost.
The 33-year-old enjoyed a strong 2026 season as a domestique and arrived very much under the radar. Joining the World Tour as a trialist with Team Sky in 2016, Doull has carved out a decade-long career as a support rider into the INEOS era before joining EF for four seasons.
His Classics pedigree saw him become a versatile rider capable of assisting leaders on hilly terrain, demanding races and cobbled showpieces, making him a valuable edition to Visma when he did arrive. At the end of the 2026 season, Doull has now ridden nine editions of Paris Roubaix and eight Tour of Flanders respectively.
What makes him such a strong and reliable rider? The answer can be found at the 2016 Olympic Games as he took a gold medal as part of Great Britian's team pursuit squad in Rio at the age of 23.
While Van Aert and Brennan take the headlines, the Welshman is one of several riders who has featured during the two's season, overlapping with major wins and proving a British transfer market success for Visma.
Wout van Aert at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
Doull transfer market success
Although among the top teams in the World Tour, Visma's current and previous transfer windows have shown that the team's transfer strategy has become rather streamlined as they look to cherry-pick developing or experienced riders and get the best out of their splashes in the market.
Ahead of the 2026 season, both Davide Piganzoli and Bruno Armirail represented well-known coups for the setup as they contributed to Grand Tour success for the team. Looking beyond those incoming names, Filippo Fiorelli's arrival with the team also proved successful while Tim Rex and Louie Barre also made a splash.
While those transfers offered much in terms of success, a team also strides for balance within its ranks and Doull's arrival delivered a tried-and-tested teammate for several of the team's leaders.
Speaking to Visma's website before the start of the season, Doull expressed his desire to contribute to the team's leaders and success: “I’m fairly well rounded, so I can help out in most types of races except the high mountains. I really get a big high out of helping my captains, and I feel that’s where I have the most value. Before a race, I always think to myself: ‘Where can I contribute the most?’
“Racing with guys like Jonas, Wout, Matteo, Matthew is really inspiring to me. It’s such an ambitious group of riders, and I’m really looking forward to getting started. I also think the mindset here fits me really well.
British rider fits straight into team's plans
As well as his credentials as a teammate, Doull also boasts success throughout his career, including a stage at the Herald Sun Tour and Tour de la Provence in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Doull hit the ground running with his new team, starting the UAE Tour in February before an outing at Tirreno Adriatico saw him back up Van Aert. However, with the classics on the way, the Belgian wasn't in his highest gear as he recorded a fifth best finish as his top result.
A week later, he was tasked with forming Van Aert's backup at Milano Sanremo, alongside Eduardo Affini, Matteo Jorgenson and Christophe Laporte among the high-calibre teammates.
Leading up to the Cipressa, where Tadej Pogacar blew the race apart, Doull's role in the monument saw him support the Flandrien on the road before it became a straight-up battle - with the Visma rider taking a well-earned podium ahead of Mathieu van der Poel.
Doull part of Paris Roubaix victory squad
After stage racing and Milano Sanremo, his attention quickly focused over to the cobbles as he took to belgian classics, culminating in once again supporting van Aert at the Tour of Flanders.
Although he took a fourth place, the best was yet to come for Visma. Doull lined out at Paris Roubaix which would turn out to be an historic day for the team as they took the win thanks to Van Aert besting Tadej Pogacar in a battle to the velodrome.
Cycling is a team sport, first and foremost. Behind a win like Roubaix, Van Aert enjoyed support from Brennan and Doull before making his ultimately successful move at the Arenberg segment, blowing apart the race.
Versatile Doull continues to start key races before supporting Brennan
There was no rest for the British rider after Roubaix as he started both Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege later that month before several other one-day races before the Tour de Suisse - which ended in him abandoning the race.
Brennan would kickstart his season proper at August's Vuelta a Burgos. Of course, Doull was part of the Visma line-up at the race and helped back up the young Briton as he took two stage victories - a pre-cursor to his Vuelta a Espana dominance.
Van Aert and Brennan went on to dominate in the Vuelta, taking seven victories in a resounding campaign to close their Grand Tour book for the season. Meanwhile, Doull finished in 18th place overall at the ZLM Tour in a solid personal showing.
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Visma's British transfer market move pays off
He closed his season at the Tour of Guangxi, but did not start the fourth stage after supporting Fabiio Jakobsen in the opening sprint stages. All-in-all, Doull racked up 49 race days in a busy season - with the only months he didn't pin a number being January and July.
On paper, Doull's results don't do justice the role the 33-year-old played for Visma. As a teammate in monuments, one day races and key stage races, the veteran was likely closing moves, driving tempo or helping to service Visma's leaders.
From the team's perspective, Visma have found a reliable rider to help contribute to their cause in just about all terrain - a successful splash in the transfer market.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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